I just got back from a business trip to France. And the entire time that I was there, in the middle of culinary heaven, I was craving this black pepper tofu. I felt extremely guilty. Do other people ever feel that way about food? Like because you are in France you should only want wine, and cheese, and escargot, or at the very least steak frites? Well, I did eat all of the above (except the escargot, which I've had before, but never in France paradoxically), but I really just wanted this tofu. That's how good it is.

I've made this tofu three times in the last month, and I'm likely to make it again this week. It's a twist on Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe from Plenty, and it is seriously one of the best tofu dishes you will ever have (even if you don't like tofu because you think it is bland and mushy! This is the total opposite. I promise, give it a try). My vegetarian, oft-tofu-eating friends, will also stand by this claim, and have actually already specifically requested this recipe. Good thing I am not a believer in "secret" recipes, otherwise I would be tempted to keep this one to myself! But no, food is meant to share and to be enjoyed in company, and that applies to recipes as well. So, if you're at a loss for what to serve to visiting friends in the near future, be they meat eaters or vegetarians, this recipe has my stamp of approval.Black Pepper Tofu Stir Fryadapted from Yotam Ottolenghi

A couple of notes here: (1) I buy "natural" tofu at the Asian market and find that it works best, however, if you are buying tofu from the regular supermarket, make sure to get firm tofu and not silky. Cornstarch - for those of us living in Europe - is also available at the Asian market; (2) I use dried chillies because I happen to have an enormous bag of dried chillies at home, and when I buy the tiny, fresh thai bird chillies I almost always end up having to throw most of them out. So dried chillies work really well for me (in this case, arbol chillies); (3) don't be afraid of all the various types of soy sauce! They too are easy to find at the Asian store and worth keeping on hand- in a pinch though, you can leave one of them out. Last, as far as the amount of tofu to use, it depends on how big a serving you want to serve! I would say 1 - 2 packages.

1/2 - 1 pound (200 - 500 g) natural tofu

cornstarch, to dust the tofu

vegetable oil, for frying

1 medium/large onion, thinly sliced

3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated or minced

3 - 4 dried chillies

1/2 stick (2 oz. or 65 g) butter

1 red pepper, sliced in strips

2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (also called ketjap manis)

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

2 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp white sugar

3 Tbsp fresh black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle

2 stalks fresh green onions, sliced in 1 inch strips

1/4 cup (50 g) roasted cashews

Directions:

1. Cut the tofu into cubes and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess.

2. Pour enough oil in a large frying pan to just coat the bottom of the pan, and bring up to high frying heat.

3. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around transfer to a paper towel. If they start getting dark brown too quickly, turn the heat to medium-high.

4. Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and add in the butter. Once it has melted, add the onions, dried chillies, garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 10 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft.

5. Add the red pepper and saute for about another 5 minutes.

6. While you wait, if you haven't done it already, crush the peppercorns, using a mortar and pestle. They should be somewhat coarse- not totally reduced to powder.

7. When the onion and pepper are soft, add the soy sauces and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper.

8. Add the fried tofu back to the pan, and warm it in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onions and cashews and stir.